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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (March 4, 2015)
BUSINESS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015 A4 HERMISTONHERALD.COM Send submissions or story ideas for the Herald Business page to Editor Jessica Keller, jkeller@hermistonherald.com FAFSA primer: How to navigate the college aid maze I f you’re worried about paying for your child’s college education, keep this statistic in mind: During the 2011- 12 school year, the U.S. Department of Education reported that 85 percent of all full-time, four-year college students were receiving some form of ¿QDQFLDODLG Consider planning way ahead of time to develop a college-savings VWUDWHJ\WKDW¿WVZLWK \RXU¿QDQFHV,I\RX need more resources to cover additional costs, get to know the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, better known as FAFSA (https://fafsa. ed.gov). FAFSA is the universal application for current and prospective U.S. college students to UHFHLYHFROOHJH¿QDQFLDO aid. It is the gateway to grants, student loans and work-study programs on the federal and state level. If you have a child headed for college, it’s a good idea to learn about the FAFSA as early as possible. The universal IRUPLVWKH¿UVWVWHSIRU any current or prospective student who needs help paying for higher education. For the 2014- 15 academic year, the College Board reported that annual tuition, room and board averaged $18,943 at in-state public universities, $32,762 for out-of-state students and $42,419 at private, QRQSUR¿WVFKRROVKWWS trends.collegeboard.org). 6WXGHQWV¿OORXWWKH FAFSA, but if your child is a dependent student, you should gather the information together. Dependent students are generally younger than 24, unmarried and not working full-time, and they will need \RXU¿QDQFLDOGDWDWR FRPSOHWHWKH¿OLQJ Students with special family circumstances (including absent parents) may still qualify for federal and state aid under certain conditions but should check GLUHFWO\ZLWK¿QDQFLDO aid representatives at WDUJHWVFKRROVIRUVSHFL¿F options. The process starts with the student choosing a personal information number that gives them multi-year access to the ¿QDQFLDODLGV\VWHP They will follow up with their own Social Security, contact and address information. Parents will submit their most recent federal income tax data and other proof of income; Alien Registration Numbers are required from parents who are not U.S. citizens. More detail is available on the FAFSA site. )$)6$¿OLQJRSHQV after Jan. 1 every year, ZLWK-XQHDVWKH¿QDO deadline. Keep in mind, though, that a student’s current or target school ¿QDQFLDODLGGHDGOLQHV (https://fafsa.ed.gov/ deadlines.htm) can be VLJQL¿FDQWO\HDUOLHUEDVHG on the state in which they plan to attend college. Before this process begins, however, tax and ¿QDQFLDODGYLVHUVVKRXOG be consulted to discuss the full range of savings JASON ALDERMAN MONEY MATTERS Visa columnist and investing options that can minimize the need for student borrowing. For assistance in completing the FAFSA form, parents and prospective students should consider FRQWDFWLQJ¿QDQFLDO aid administrators at prospective schools or where the student has been accepted for admission. Some schools offer workshops in ¿OOLQJRXWWKHIRUPDQG organizations like College Goal Sunday (http://www. collegegoalsundayusa. org/) offer that assistance in 39 states. Bottom line: Knowing as much Hermiston store offers a as possible about college variety of services financial aid now can help Shipping Solutions of Hermiston RIIHUVDOOWKHVHUYLFHVRIDSRVWRI¿FH parents and or a private shipping company with the feel of a small business. Dorothy Smith, who owns the students make business with her husband, Dave, said Shipping Solutions provides autho- the best plans rized shipping for FedEx, UPS and the United States Postal Service and for covering offers a variety of other services. “We do everything that they do ex- it’s a mom and pop-type of busi- those expenses. cept ness,” she said. “It’s a cute little store.” said the business had been Whether college in Smith operation for about 17 years be- they bought it several years ago is months or fore in the Safeway Plaza with a plan to move it to a more visible location. Af- years away, ter purchasing the Talery Plaza across Fourth Street about a year ago, Smith they moved the business into its it’s never too said new location, 1000 S. Highway 395, early to start at the beginning of February. planning and saving. Providing shipping solutions BY SEAN HART HERMISTON HERALD Parents and students should also check their own networks for help. Employers, professional organizations (related WRWKHVWXGHQW¶V¿HOGRI study), fraternal societies and private foundations are great potential resources for no-strings scholarships and grant money. If a dependent child works a summer job at a major company (fast food, retail and beyond), he or she can check if the employer offers scholarships or HGXFDWLRQEHQH¿WVWR part-time workers. It is also important to keep an eye on the news for the latest changes to federal DQGVWDWH¿QDQFLDODLGDQG student loan rules. Bottom line: Knowing as much as possible about FROOHJH¿QDQFLDODLGQRZ can help parents and students make the best plans for covering those expenses. Whether college is months or years away, it’s never too early to start planning and saving. — Jason Alderman dLreFWs 9Lsa¶s ¿nanFLal education programs. To Follow Jason Alderman on Twitter: www.twitter. com/PracticalMoney HermistonHerald VOLUME 109 ɿ NUMBER 18 JESSICA KELLER EDITOR jkeller@ hermistonherald.com 541-564-4533 SEAN HART PHOTO Shipping Solutions of Hermiston owner Dorothy Smith, right, helps customer Yesenia Rodriguez Monday at the business’s new location, 1000 S. Highway 395. A grand opening and ribbon cutting will take place at noon March 11. MAEGAN MURRAY REPORTER mmurray@ hermistonherald.com 541-564-4532 “It’s a great location,” she said. “It’s so easy (to get) in and out of here. The appearance makes it look like there’s more space. It’s bright. It’s just got a really nice, clean look to it. It seems that every- body that comes in is just kind A ribbo of in awe of the store. I’ve had at Ship n cutting w ill ta pin lots of compliments on it.” locatio g Solutions o ke place at n n Smith said the business of- , store is 1000 S. H f Hermiston oon ighw ’s ne ope fers personal mailboxes that Monda n from 9 a.m ay 395. The w people can access at any time ys thro . to 5:3 ug 0 from 1 with a key to a separate door. 0 a.m. h Fridays an p.m. to 2 p. d The mailbox area is closed off m Saturd ays. . on from the rest of the store during non-business hours and also fea- tures a drop box for mail. Shipping Solutions has a variety of shipping supplies, she said, along with a variety of other services. copy machines, both color and black “We also do faxing and emailing, and white, as well as scanners and a laminating, binding notebooks, nota- machine that can fold documents. rizing, which is really big,” she said. Smith said the Hermiston store “We have a lot of people that come HPSOR\V¿YHSHRSOHDQGVKHDQGKHU in just to get things notarized. We do husband also own Shipping Solutions a lot of novelty things like greeting of Pendleton and O So Kleen. cards. If people want to make busi- She said she is excited for Ship- ness cards, we have a company that ping Solutions of Hermiston’s grand we work with to get them usually opening and ribbon cutting, which within a week.” will take place at noon March 11. The business has self-service “I think that will get the word out because a lot of people are still driv- ing over to the old spot we were be- fore,” she said. “It will just kind of let them know, ‘Hey, we moved. We’re over here.’ ” Shipping Solutions is open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays at the new location, 1000 S. Highway 395, Hermiston. Grand openi ng SEAN HART PHOTO SEAN HART PHOTO Dorothy Smith, who owns Shipping Solutions of Hermiston with her husband, Dave, poses inside the new store location in the Talery Plaza, which the Smiths purchased about a year ago. Dorothy Smith, who owns Shipping Solutions of Hermiston with her hus- band, Dave, shows the back room for the store’s mailbox section, which is accessible at all hours. BUSINESS BITES Latino Business Network meeting next week The Latino Business Network meeting will take place at 9 a.m. March 11 at the Employment Depart- ment/Work Source Oregon, 950 S.E. Columbia Drive, Suite B, Hermiston. Featured speakers are Blue Moun- tain Community College President Cam Preus and Art Hill with BMCC Small Business Development. Donuts and coffee will be served. The Hermiston Chamber of Com- merce’s vision is to promote, edu- cate and support Latino businesses in the greater Hermiston area through networking, advocacy and business community partnership. For more in- To contact the Hermiston Herald for news, advertising or subscription information: • call 541-567-6457 • e-mail info@hermistonherald.com • stop by our of¿ces at 333 E. Main St. • visit us online at: www.hermistonherald.com SEAN HART REPORTER smhart@ hermistonherald.com 541-564-4534 SAM BARBEE SPORTS REPORTER sbarbee@ hermistonherald.com 541-564-4542 formation about the Latino Business Network, call Debbie Pedro at 541- 567-6151. Farm Worker and Ag Employer Expo coming up People are invited to the second annual Farm Worker and Ag Em- ployer Expo from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 11 at the Hermiston Confer- ence Center, 415 S. Highway 395, Hermiston, Oregon. Guest speakers include Fernan- do Gutierrez, state monitor advo- cate for the Oregon Employment Department; Liz Marvin, Project College Bound coordinator with ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES Delivered by carrier and mail Wednesdays and Saturdays Inside Umatilla/Morrow counties .........................$42.65 Outside Umatilla/Morrow counties ......................$53.90 STEPHANIE BURKENBINE MULTI-MEDIA CONSULTANT sburkenbine@ hermistonherald.com 541-564-4538 the Hermiston School District, who will provide information on FAF- SA; Manny Medrano with Oregon Human Development Corp.; Elvi- ra Salamanca with CAPECO, who will share training and education opportunities available; and a farm worker attorney. People will also hear about other training and em- ployment programs to help build the workforce and learn more about the Latino Business Network. Fiesta Foods will be serving dinner at the beginning of the event. For more information, call the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce at 541-567-6151 or, for Span- ish-speakers, Eddie De La Cruz, 541-701-4696. The Hermiston Herald (USPS 242220, ISSN 8750-4782) is published twice weekly at Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838, (541) 567-6457, FAX (541) 567-1764. Periodical postage paid at Hermiston, OR. Postmaster, send address changes to Hermiston Printed on Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838. recycled newsprint A member of the EO Media Group Copyright ©2015 JEANNE JEWETT MULTI-MEDIA CONSULTANT jjewett@ hermistonherald.com 541-564-4531 KIM LA PLANT OFFICE COORDINATOR klaplant@ hermistonherald.com 541-564-4530